M-1971 Summer Officer Honor Guard
Parade Uniform

 
Senior Lieutenant of Motor Rifles (1978)

 

The Officer is Wearing:
The M-1969 summer officer parade jacket in wave green.  The M-1966 pattern white long sleeve shirt is worn with a black tie.  A gold aiguillette is worn on his right side under the red honor guard sash.  Two awards are worn on his left breast.  The yellow officer parade belt and white gloves are also worn.

Trousers on the uniform are the M-1969 summer officer pattern in wave green.  Leather boots with a highly polished black finish are usually worn with the uniform (but our pair would not fit on the model).
 

An M-1969 pattern officer parade visor cap with a special M-1971 honor guard badge completes the uniform.  This uniform would be correct for wear between 1971 and 1994,

Sources Cited

 


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More about the uniform...

The M-1971 honor guard uniform for officers was developed in the wake of the sweeping changes caused by the 1969 uniform regulations.  Though it would enter service two years after the 1969 uniforms it borrowed heavily from the standard M-1969 army officer parade uniform.  This marked both a break from the 1955 pattern uniforms as well as fulfilling a desire for uniformity with the other 1969 era uniforms.

Army units across the Soviet Union as well as the Moscow based 1st Separate Honor Guard Company would use these uniforms for major ceremonies, color guards, and military holidays.  Though it must be mentioned that those of the 1st Separate Honor Guard Company were of better quality than most others.

The basic uniform differs from the standard M-1969 summer officer parade uniform in a few ways: it features a M-1971 'starburst' badge on the visor cap, and a gold aiguillette is worn.

Sabers and honor sashes were also authorized to be worn on certain occasions.  In our example the officer is part of a color guard (though not a flag bearer) and wears the appropriate sash.  Flag bearer sashes featured a pocket to hold the flag as they marched or stood at their post.  Sabers would be worn by officers leading the parade or ceremony.

Typically orders and medals were authorized to be worn with this uniform, which consists of: the M-1969 officer jacket with aiguillette and trousers, honor guard sash, M-1969 officer visor cap with M-1971 honor guard cap badge, black leather boots with a high shine, gold parade belt, and the M-1966 white shirt and tie.  The cap band, shoulder boards, and collar tab backings would all be red no matter what branch of the army the soldier was a part of.  No black versions for armor or support troops were issued. 

 

Service Chronology

The M-1971 honor guard uniform for officers entered service during a time of great reform.  It broke away from the post-war influences to bring about a truly modern, yet conservative, design for the Brezhnev era.  The uniform set the standard for Soviet parades and ceremony for the last half of the Cold War.  It remained in service for over two decades and outlasted the Soviet Union itself. 

The 1971 officer honor guard uniform whose role was to inspire pride and awe to those witnessing the events it was worn in.  It offered a modern, yet conservative, design for the Brezhnev era and became an iconic symbol of Soviet pageantry.  Though it was visually similar to the standard uniforms of the period, its brighter badging allowed it to stand out from those others.  When paired with color guard sashes or a saber it can present a striking appearance.

It was worn by army officers of the 1st Separate Honor Guard company, as well as large army units across the Soviet Union, and with the various groups of forces deployed abroad.  In these cases they would be worn for change of command ceremonies and similar military administrative functions.  The uniform replaced the M-1955 honor guard uniforms, and was itself replaced in 1994 with the first Russian Federation uniform regulations.  To learn more about the honor guard uniforms that preceded and followed it click on the link below.
This Uniform Replaced... M-1971 Officer Summer Honor Guard Uniform This Uniform was Replaced by...
M-1955 Officer Summer Honor Guard Uniform Uncertain at Present

 

Sources Cited
 

(1) Prilutskaya, N. V. and N. L. Kortunova, ВОЕННАЯ ОДЕЖДА ВООРУЖЕННЫХ СИЛ СССР И РОССИИ (1917-1990), Moscow: Military Publishing, 1999. Print.

(2) “Caps of Soviet Honor Guards and Orchestras” Under the Red Star. Accessed January 1, 2019. http://www.undertheredstar.com/honor.htm

Last Updated 2 January 2019 by Ryan Stavka